Hey Folks, just got home and finished my chicken dinner. It's 8:17PM Gee Wizz were did the day go? kms2, Yes, a Chapter would consit of PSA members in good standing with the rules of the PSA. Benefits from sales at events would go towards the Houston based PSA in support. This can also attract new supporters to the website and have local and national articles on Plumeria. If I read exactly, doesn't Naples Botanical Gardens have a kindered relation with the PSA? I noticed this one the PSA website? Maybe what I'm searching for is 100 miles south of me? I feel a more centralized location for Florida would be Orlando. I know here in Bradenton (right on the coast) south of Tampa, I have access to the Palma Sola Botanical Gardens complete with a plumeria garden. Plenty of area for out door sales and a real nice pavilion recreation hall. The possibilities are endless. I bet if I called Florida Colors, Brad's Buds & Blooms, The Mad Plumerian and a few others they'd be in on it. At least start out with a once a year sale and event. I met a Roger Galle and wife from the Gulf Coast Plumeria Society last weekend and I mostly just listened to what he had to say. I do know that the GCPS is inactive at this point. I don't see it coming back. All I can say is...Open minds say more than open mouths, so my mind was open and learned a lot. My thoughts go to all of the Florida Growers who are in it for a business and a way to help support their sales and add new customers if they choose. I'm sure there are many talented growers with tips and ideas enough to share at the events. I would have my work cut out for me, but why not? First things first, research, ask questions and listen & take good notes and make next April a deadline/goal. Mahalo Nui ( Thank you very much ) Stuart

In my opinion best advice is to seek treatment for phobia. I had a severe phobia of dogs that I had to get treated and it is very worth it and I think a lot of people that have more "socially acceptable phobias" (e.g. spiders or snakes rather than beloved dogs, people thought I was evil for being scared of dogs! even though I have been up to cottonmouths before and been fine, didn't bother me,... but as a kid I got CHASED DOWN by dogs and attacked so...). We share this world with a lot of creatures, it's something to get used to. Desensitization&exposure therapy is best to build yourself up first before you ever see one. That being said, eliminating brush piles in areas you frequent/maintain a lot, keeping it open will keep snakes out of those areas and make them favor more wild spots. Keeping things open tends to be best for the more cultivated areas of the garden anyway, to maintain airflow. ALSO snakes are often not very active in the day except after rains. They don't like being out in the open especially in the day because one of their main predators, hawks, can see them. I rarely see snakes around my house and I have a bunch of brush lol I've only seen them out at night (there's the cutest baby kingsnake but i digress). avoid times when snakes are most active and you'll be a lot less likely to see them. anyway best of luck treating your phobia, it's a hard road but very worth it to be free of it

hey viridis. that is true about the 17 species of geckos there is alot more than that there are just about every reptile that you can think of. and more trust me from collecting in the everglades. i seen a lot and know that people let lose rep. and so do the reptile wholesellers let lose a lot of reptiles. so ther is a lot not reported yet. this can turn into a problem later on. but is nice to look at while hunting reptiles. none???????????????????????????????

I "stumbled" upon this thread as I'm reading quite a bit on snakes lately. I moved into an area in Alabama that is known to have Copperheads, (unknowingly until AFTER we closed on the home) and there are other snakes (Cottonmouths, rat snakes...) as well. I haven't seen Cottonmouths but I have seen other snakes. I have eliminated quite a bit of the things that provide food and shelter for them. I plan to expand quite a bit of hardscape (concrete, crushed aggregate, river rock, pavers/patio) and ALL monkey grass, jasmine, pine straw, and other ground cover including shrubbery will be history. The goal is to keep everything clean and green and incredibly unpleasant for snakes. I have also found rodent holes and filled them with crushed aggregate, and rocks. I make certain to use long garden tool handles to push the rock into the holes and pack them to the point where no further material can be packed. We have killed two Copperheads to this point. one was under my vehicle as I headed out one morning. We have younger children, visitors, dogs and cats... that may not be aware of the dangers. The Copperheads are particularly dangerous as they can be aggressive and may not be easily seen by an unsuspecting visitor... We want to decrease the likelihood of an encounter but we also don't allow the snakes to live once we discover them on the premises.